WO2020102993A1

WO2020102993A1 - Ultrasound probe

Info

Publication number: WO2020102993A1
Application number: PCT/CN2018/116498
Authority: WO
Inventors: 郑洲; 唐明; 吴飞
Original assignee: 深圳迈瑞生物医疗电子股份有限公司
Priority date: 2018-11-20
Filing date: 2018-11-20
Publication date: 2020-05-28

Abstract

An ultrasound probe, comprising a housing (100), an acoustic head (200), a driving apparatus (300), and a transmission shaft (400). The driving apparatus (300) transmits a vibration to the acoustic head (200) via the transmission shaft (400). At least one transmission shaft (400) is provided thereon with a damping mechanism. The damping mechanism is capable of applying to the corresponding transmission shaft (400) a resistance opposite in direction to the motion of the transmission shaft (400). When power is turned off, the driving apparatus (300) ceases to operate, at which time, the transmission shaft (400) generates a residual vibration under the effect of inertia, and the resistance provided by the damping mechanism is opposite in direction to the motion of the transmission shaft (400); therefore, the energy of the residual vibration of the transmission shaft (400) can be canceled out quickly, thus reducing the residual vibration of the transmission shaft (400), thereby reducing the residual vibration of the acoustic head (200), and increasing the measurement accuracy of the probe.

Description

Ultrasonic probe

Technical field

The present application relates to ultrasound imaging equipment, in particular to an ultrasound probe.

Background technique

Shear imaging devices are based on ultrasonic elastography technology to measure the elasticity of organs of humans or animals, or more broadly, to measure all viscoelastic media that can generate ultrasonic signals when probed by ultrasound. It is important to evaluate the progress of liver fibrosis and cirrhosis by detecting the hardness or elasticity of the liver through this device.

Probes for ultrasonic shear imaging usually include acoustic heads, sensors, elastic linear guide structures, and motors. During the detection process, the acoustic head needs to be in effective contact with the human body under a certain pre-pressure, and a sine wave current signal is passed to the motor to allow the transducer at the front of the probe to vibrate back and forth to measure the hardness of the tissue. However, after the driving current is cut off, the tailing phenomenon is more serious due to the existence of vibration inertia, and under different preloads, the consistency of the vibration tailing time is poor, which seriously affects the accuracy of the measurement results.

technical problem

The present application provides a new type of ultrasonic probe to reduce the tailing phenomenon of the probe after power failure and improve the accuracy of measurement.

Technical solution

An embodiment provides an ultrasonic probe, which is characterized by comprising: a housing;

Sound head, used to emit ultrasound;

A driving device, which is installed in the housing and used to drive the sound head to perform low-frequency vibration; at least one transmission shaft, one end of the transmission shaft is connected to the output end of the driving device, and the other end is connected to the sound head to connect The motion output by the driving device is transmitted to the sound head;

And a damping mechanism, at least one of the transmission shafts is correspondingly provided with the damping mechanism, the damping mechanism is directly fixedly connected to the housing or fixedly mounted on a component connected to the housing, and the damping mechanism and the transmission shaft Contact, and can produce resistance to hinder the movement of the drive shaft when the drive shaft moves.

An embodiment provides an ultrasonic probe, characterized in that it includes:

case;

Sound head, used to emit ultrasound;

And a damping mechanism, at least one of the transmission shafts is correspondingly provided with the damping mechanism, the damping mechanism is directly fixedly connected to the housing or fixedly installed on a component that is fixedly connected to the housing, and the damping mechanism and the transmission The fixedly connected parts of the shaft are in contact, and can generate resistance to the movement of the transmission shaft when the transmission shaft moves.

An embodiment provides an ultrasonic probe, characterized in that it includes:

case;

Sound head, used to emit ultrasound;

And a damping mechanism, at least one of the transmission shafts is correspondingly provided with the damping mechanism, and the damping mechanism applies resistance in a direction opposite to the movement of the transmission shaft to the corresponding transmission shaft.

In one embodiment, the damping mechanism includes a friction member, the friction member is directly fixedly connected to the housing or fixedly installed on a component that is fixedly connected to the housing, and the friction member directly contacts the transmission shaft and can When the transmission shaft moves, friction force is generated which hinders the movement of the transmission shaft.

In an embodiment, the damping mechanism includes a friction member, the friction member is directly fixedly connected to the housing or fixedly installed on a component that is fixedly connected to the housing, and the friction member is directly connected to the component that is fixedly connected to the transmission shaft It is in contact and can produce friction force that hinders the movement of the drive shaft when the drive shaft moves.

In one embodiment, the damping mechanism includes a friction member, the friction member is fixedly disposed relative to the housing, and the friction member is in contact with the transmission shaft or a component that is fixedly connected to the transmission shaft, and is capable of moving when the transmission shaft moves Generates friction that impedes the movement of the drive shaft.

In one embodiment, the driving device includes a motor capable of outputting linear reciprocating motion, and the transmission shaft is integrally connected with the output end of the motor.

In one embodiment, it further includes a fixing seat fixedly connected to the housing, the friction member is an O-ring, the fixing seat is provided with a through hole for the transmission shaft to pass through, and the O-ring is fixedly installed on the The through hole is sleeved on the transmission shaft, and the transmission shaft and the O-ring have an interference fit.

In one embodiment, it further includes a fixing seat as a friction member, the fixing seat is fixedly connected to the housing, the fixing seat is provided with a through hole for the transmission shaft to pass through, and the transmission shaft fixing sleeve is provided with an O-type Ring, the O-ring is in contact with the inner wall of the through hole, and the inner wall of the through hole and the O-ring have an interference fit.

In one embodiment, it further includes a linear guide installed on the fixed base, and the transmission shaft is movably installed on the linear guide.

In an embodiment, the fixed seat includes an upper seat body and a lower seat body, and the linear guide is installed between the upper seat body and the lower seat body.

In an embodiment, the linear guide adopts a linear bearing, a sliding bearing, a guide hole structure or a slide rail.

In an embodiment, the friction member is at least one friction block, the friction block is fixedly disposed relative to the housing, and has a friction surface that contacts the transmission shaft or a component that is fixedly connected to the transmission shaft. The transmission shaft or components fixedly connected with the transmission shaft are press-fitted to form a friction force.

In one embodiment, there are at least two friction blocks, which are rotationally symmetrically distributed around the axis of the corresponding transmission shaft.

In an embodiment, the transmission shaft includes a first transmission shaft, a second transmission shaft, and a third transmission shaft. The first transmission shaft, the second transmission shaft, and the third transmission shaft are distributed in an equilateral triangle, each A damping mechanism is respectively provided on the transmission shaft.

In an embodiment, the transmission shaft includes a first transmission shaft, a second transmission shaft, a third transmission shaft and a fourth transmission shaft, and the first transmission shaft, the second transmission shaft and the third transmission shaft form an equilateral Triangular distribution, the fourth transmission shaft is located in the center of an equilateral triangle, at least a damping mechanism is provided on the fourth transmission shaft.

Beneficial effect

The beneficial effects of this application are:

In the ultrasonic probe provided by the present application, the driving device transmits the vibration of the sound head through the transmission shaft, and at least one transmission shaft is provided with a damping mechanism, which can apply resistance to the corresponding transmission shaft in the direction opposite to the movement direction of the transmission shaft. After the probe is powered off, the drive device stops working. At this time, the drive shaft will generate residual vibration under the action of inertia, and the resistance provided by the damping mechanism is opposite to the movement direction of the transmission shaft, so the residual vibration energy of the transmission shaft can be quickly cancelled, thus Reduce the after-vibration of the transmission shaft, thereby reducing the after-vibration of the acoustic head part, and improve the accuracy of the probe measurement.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

1 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of an ultrasonic probe of this application;

2 is a schematic diagram of the installation structure of the damping mechanism in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a comparison diagram of the trailing time before and after the damping mechanism is used in an embodiment of the present application.

Embodiments of the invention

detailed description

The present invention will be further described in detail below through specific embodiments and drawings. This application can be implemented in many different forms, and is not limited to the implementation described in this embodiment. The purpose of providing the following specific embodiments is to facilitate a clearer and more thorough understanding of the disclosure content of the present application, wherein the words indicating the orientation such as up, down, left, and right are only for the position of the illustrated structure in the corresponding drawings.

However, those skilled in the art may realize that one or more of the detailed descriptions may be omitted, or other methods, components, or materials may be used. In some examples, some embodiments are not described or described in detail.

In addition, the technical features and technical solutions described herein can also be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. For those skilled in the art, it is easy to understand that the steps or operation sequence of the method related to the embodiments provided herein can also be changed. Therefore, any order in the drawings and embodiments is for illustrative purposes only, and does not imply that a certain order is required unless it is explicitly stated that a certain order is required.

This embodiment provides an ultrasonic probe, for example, an ultrasonic probe used for shear wave imaging.

Please refer to FIGS. 1 and 2. The ultrasonic probe includes a housing 100, an acoustic head 200, a driving device 300 and a transmission shaft 400. Of course, the probe itself may also include other related components, such as a pressure sensor, a cable, etc. The components related to the present application are mainly described here, and other components are not described in detail.

The acoustic head 200 is movably installed on the housing 100. The driving device 300 is connected to the acoustic head 200 and is used to drive the acoustic head 200 to perform low-frequency vibration so that the acoustic head 200 generates elastic shear waves in the tissue. There are more than one transmission shaft 400, one end of which is connected to the output end of the driving device 300, and the other end is connected to the acoustic head 200, for transmitting the motion output by the driving device 300 to the acoustic head 200. The acoustic head 200 also has an acoustic head wafer, which can emit ultrasonic waves capable of detecting the transmission of elastic shear waves, and finally collect echo signals to form instant elastic imaging.

Among them, the ultrasonic probe also includes a damping mechanism. At least one transmission shaft 400 is correspondingly provided with a damping mechanism, and the damping mechanism applies a resistance to the corresponding transmission shaft 400 in a direction opposite to the movement direction of the transmission shaft 400. The setting mentioned here includes not only fixed installation but also non-fixed installation. After the probe is powered off, the driving device 300 stops working. At this time, the transmission shaft 400 will generate residual vibration under the action of inertia, and the resistance provided by the damping mechanism is opposite to the movement direction of the transmission shaft 400. Vibration energy, thereby reducing the residual vibration of the transmission shaft 400, thereby reducing the residual vibration of the acoustic head 200 part, and improving the accuracy of the probe measurement.

The damping mechanism can be directly fixedly connected to the casing or fixedly installed on the parts fixedly connected to the casing. The damping mechanism can be in direct contact with the transmission shaft to generate frictional forces that hinder the movement of the transmission shaft when the transmission shaft moves. Of course, the damping mechanism can also be in contact with a component that is fixedly connected to the transmission shaft, thereby further hindering the movement of the transmission shaft by applying resistance to the component.

The resistance formed by the damping mechanism can be achieved by friction or other forms of force. For example, in an embodiment, the damping mechanism includes a friction member that is fixedly disposed relative to the housing 100, and the friction member is in contact with the transmission shaft 400 or a component that is fixedly connected to the transmission shaft 400, and can be connected to the transmission shaft 400. Friction is generated during vibration. The friction force formed by the friction member on the transmission shaft 400 or other components fixedly connected to the transmission shaft 400 will overcome part of the residual vibration energy of the transmission shaft 400, thereby reducing the residual vibration of the transmission shaft 400 and the acoustic head 200 connected to the transmission shaft 400 In order to reduce the smearing phenomenon, the consistency of smearing time can also be improved, and the image quality and measurement results are significantly improved.

Please refer to FIG. 3, which schematically depicts a comparison diagram of the tailing time in the two states before and after the damping mechanism is used in an embodiment. The frequency of the current applied to the motor in this embodiment is 50 Hz, 0.5 cycle (half wavelength). In Fig. 3, the abscissa is the pre-pressure value, and the ordinate is the tailing time. Fig. 3 a shows the schematic diagram after adding the damping mechanism, and b in Fig. 3 shows the schematic diagram when the damping mechanism is not provided. Of course, after other parameters change, the comparison diagram may also change, but no matter what kind of change, the tailing time of the ultrasonic probe after adding the damping mechanism is obviously shorter than that without the damping mechanism.

Please refer to FIGS. 1 and 2. In one embodiment, a cavity is formed inside the housing 100, and a part of the acoustic head 200, the driving device 300, the transmission shaft 400, and the damping mechanism are installed in the housing 100. In one embodiment, the driving device 300 includes a motor capable of outputting linear reciprocating motion, such as a voice coil motor. The transmission shaft 400 is integrally connected with the output end of the motor. For example, please refer to FIGS. 1 and 2. In one embodiment, the driving device 300 as the output shaft of the output end is fixed to the transmission shaft 400 through the lower connecting seat 810. The output shaft is fixed on one side of the lower connecting seat 810, and the other side of the lower connecting seat 810 correspondingly locks the transmission shaft 400, and can drive the transmission shaft 400 to move integrally. The other end of the transmission shaft 400 can be fixedly connected to an upper connecting seat 820, which can be used to install components such as the acoustic head 200 and the pressure sensor (if necessary).

Further, the friction member may adopt various structures capable of applying frictional force to the transmission shaft 400 or a component fixedly connected to the transmission shaft 400, which includes applying friction from the transmission shaft 400 or a component fixedly connected to the transmission shaft 400 over the entire circumference Forces (such as O-rings) also include the application of frictional forces from more than one point of action on the drive shaft 400 or components fixedly connected to the drive shaft 400 (such as from one or two places through one or more friction blocks The above position presses the transmission shaft 400 or the component fixedly connected to the transmission shaft 400).

Please refer to FIG. 1. In one embodiment, an O-ring 700 is used as an example. The ultrasonic probe further includes a fixing seat 500 fixedly connected to the housing 100. The friction member is an O-ring 700. The fixing seat 500 has a through hole for the transmission shaft 400 to pass through. The O-ring 700 is fixedly installed in the through hole and sleeved on the transmission shaft 400. The transmission shaft 400 and the O-ring 700 have an interference fit. When the transmission shaft 400 reciprocates relative to the O-ring 700, the O-ring 700 generates a frictional force on the transmission shaft 400, which hinders its movement.

In another embodiment, a similar fixing seat 500 may be used, and in this case, the fixing seat 500 serves as a friction member. The through hole of the fixing seat 500 is slightly larger than the structure shown in FIG. 1, and the O-ring 700 is fixedly sleeved on the corresponding transmission shaft 400, that is, the O-ring and the transmission shaft 400 are fixedly connected as a whole. The transmission shaft 400 and the O-ring 700 are integrally provided in the through hole, and can reciprocate in the through hole. The inner wall of the through hole is in contact with the O-ring 700, and there is an interference fit between the two, and friction force is applied to the O-ring 700 through the fixing seat 500, thereby providing resistance to the transmission shaft 400.

Further, in order to ensure the stability of the low frequency vibration of the sound head 200, please refer to FIGS. On the linear guide 600. The linear guide 600 is used to guide the drive shaft 400 to reciprocate according to a set straight line. Generally, the linear guide 600 can adopt a linear bearing, a sliding bearing, a guide hole structure, a slide rail, or other forms of linear guide structures. In some embodiments, the elastic member 900 for providing pre-pressure can also be sleeved on the transmission shaft 400 and abut the fixing seat 500.

Please continue to refer to FIGS. 1 and 2. The fixing seat 500 includes an upper seat body 510 and a lower seat body 520. The linear guide 600 is installed between the upper seat body 510 and the lower seat body 520. The linear guide 600 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is a linear bearing, and the transmission shaft 400 passes through the linear bearing to ensure the smoothness of the reciprocating movement of the transmission shaft 400.

On the other hand, the friction member is not limited to the structure of the O-ring 700. For example, in one embodiment, the friction member is at least one friction block. The friction block is fixedly disposed relative to the housing 100, for example, it may be directly mounted on the housing 100, or may be mounted on a component fixedly connected to the housing 100. The friction block has a friction surface in contact with the transmission shaft 400 or a component fixedly connected to the transmission shaft 400, and the friction surface is press-fitted with the transmission shaft 400 or a component fixedly connected to the transmission shaft 400 to form a friction force. The above-mentioned O-ring 700 can be regarded as applying frictional force to the transmission shaft 400 or other components fixedly connected to the transmission shaft 400 from the entire circumference. The friction surface of the friction block may have an arc shape so as to make good contact with the surface of the transmission shaft 400, or the friction surface may have other shapes, depending on the shape of the object in contact with the friction surface. The friction block can be regarded as applying frictional force from one or more positions on the transmission shaft 400 or other components fixedly connected to the transmission shaft 400.

Further, in order to ensure the stability of the transmission shaft 400 under stress, in one embodiment, there are at least two friction blocks, which are rotationally symmetrically distributed around the axis of the corresponding transmission shaft 400 to ensure the symmetry of the transmission shaft 400 under stress To prevent the transmission shaft 400 from tilting due to excessive force on one side.

The above only shows several example structures of friction members. In other embodiments, other forms of structures may be used to directly or indirectly apply friction to the transmission shaft 400, thereby forming a resistance opposite to the direction of movement of the transmission shaft 400. Of course, the use of friction to hinder the residual vibration of the transmission shaft 400 is only an example. In other embodiments, other forms of force may also be used to achieve the function of the damping mechanism.

Further, in order to ensure the stability of the transmission structure, in some embodiments, there may be multiple transmission shafts 400, and when there are multiple transmission shafts 400, at least one transmission shaft 400 may be provided with a damping mechanism. 1 and 2, in one embodiment, the transmission shaft 400 includes a first transmission shaft 410, a second transmission shaft 420, and a third transmission shaft 430. The first transmission shaft 410, the second transmission shaft 420, and the third transmission shaft 430 are distributed in an equilateral triangle. This triangular distribution can ensure the stability of the entire transmission structure and reduce sway. Further, each transmission shaft 400 may be correspondingly provided with a damping mechanism, such as an O-ring 700 or a friction block.

Or, in another embodiment, the transmission shaft 400 includes a first transmission shaft, a second transmission shaft, a third transmission shaft, and a fourth transmission shaft. Among them, the first transmission shaft, the second transmission shaft and the third transmission shaft are distributed in an equilateral triangle. This triangular distribution can ensure the stability of the entire transmission structure and reduce sloshing. The fourth transmission shaft is located in the center of the equilateral triangle. At least the fourth transmission shaft is provided with a damping mechanism, such as an O-ring 700 or a friction block. In this way, only the fourth transmission shaft can be provided with a damping mechanism, which simplifies the structure, and because the fourth rotation shaft is located on the center of the equilateral triangle, the resistance it receives can be evenly distributed to each transmission shaft.

A

The above is a further detailed description of the present invention in conjunction with specific embodiments, and it cannot be assumed that the specific implementation of the present invention is limited to these descriptions. For a person of ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present invention belongs, several simple deductions or replacements can be made without departing from the concept of the present invention.

Claims

An ultrasonic probe is characterized by comprising:

case;

Sound head, used to emit ultrasound;

A driving device, the driving device is installed in the housing and used for driving the sound head to perform low-frequency vibration;

At least one transmission shaft, one end of the transmission shaft is connected to the output end of the driving device, and the other end is connected to the acoustic head, for transmitting the motion output by the driving device to the acoustic head;

And a damping mechanism, at least one of the transmission shafts is correspondingly provided with the damping mechanism, the damping mechanism is directly fixedly connected to the housing or fixedly mounted on a component connected to the housing, and the damping mechanism and the transmission shaft Contact, and can produce resistance to hinder the movement of the drive shaft when the drive shaft moves.
An ultrasonic probe is characterized by comprising:

case;

Sound head, used to emit ultrasound;

A driving device, the driving device is installed in the housing and used for driving the sound head to perform low-frequency vibration;

At least one transmission shaft, one end of the transmission shaft is connected to the output end of the driving device, and the other end is connected to the acoustic head, for transmitting the motion output by the driving device to the acoustic head;

And a damping mechanism, at least one of the transmission shafts is correspondingly provided with the damping mechanism, the damping mechanism is directly fixedly connected to the housing or fixedly installed on a component that is fixedly connected to the housing, and the damping mechanism and the transmission The fixedly connected parts of the shaft are in contact, and can generate resistance to the movement of the transmission shaft when the transmission shaft moves.
An ultrasonic probe is characterized by comprising:

case;

Sound head, used to emit ultrasound;

A driving device, the driving device is installed in the housing and used for driving the sound head to perform low-frequency vibration;

At least one transmission shaft, one end of the transmission shaft is connected to the output end of the driving device, and the other end is connected to the acoustic head, for transmitting the motion output by the driving device to the acoustic head;

And a damping mechanism, at least one of the transmission shafts is correspondingly provided with the damping mechanism, and the damping mechanism applies resistance in a direction opposite to the movement of the transmission shaft to the corresponding transmission shaft.
The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein the damping mechanism includes a friction member, the friction member is directly fixedly connected to the housing or fixedly installed on a member that is fixedly connected to the housing, and the friction member Direct contact with the drive shaft, and can produce friction force that hinders the drive shaft movement when the drive shaft moves.
The ultrasonic probe according to claim 2, wherein the damping mechanism includes a friction member, the friction member is directly fixedly connected to the housing or is fixedly installed on a component that is fixedly connected to the housing, and the friction member is directly It is in contact with the parts that are fixedly connected to the transmission shaft, and can generate frictional forces that hinder the movement of the transmission shaft when the transmission shaft moves.
The ultrasonic probe according to claim 3, wherein the damping mechanism includes a friction member, the friction member is fixedly disposed relative to the housing, and the friction member is in contact with the transmission shaft or a member fixedly connected to the transmission shaft , And can generate friction force that hinders the movement of the transmission shaft when the transmission shaft moves.
The ultrasonic probe according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the driving device includes a motor capable of outputting linear reciprocating motion, and the transmission shaft is integrally connected with the output end of the motor.
The ultrasonic probe according to claim 4, 6 or 7, further comprising a fixing seat fixedly connected with the housing, the friction member is an O-ring, and the fixing seat is provided with a transmission shaft for passing through Through hole, the O-ring is fixedly installed in the through hole and sleeved on the transmission shaft, and the transmission shaft and the O-ring have an interference fit.
The ultrasonic probe according to any one of claims 5 to 7, further comprising a fixing seat as a friction member, the fixing seat is fixedly connected to the housing, and the fixing seat is provided with a transmission shaft for passing through Through holes, the transmission shaft fixing sleeve is provided with an O-ring, the O-ring is in contact with the inner wall of the through hole, and the inner wall of the through hole is in interference fit with the O-ring.
The ultrasonic probe according to claim 8 or 9, further comprising a linear guide mounted on a fixed base, and the transmission shaft is movably mounted on the linear guide.
The ultrasonic probe according to claim 10, wherein the fixing base comprises an upper base body and a lower base body, and the linear guide is installed between the upper base body and the lower base body.
The ultrasonic probe according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the linear guide adopts a linear bearing, a sliding bearing, a guide hole structure or a slide rail.
The ultrasonic probe according to any one of claims 4 to 7, characterized in that the friction member is at least one friction block, and the friction block is fixedly disposed relative to the housing, and is fixed to the transmission shaft or to the transmission shaft A friction surface contacted by the connected components. The friction surface is press-fitted with the transmission shaft or the component fixedly connected to the transmission shaft to form a friction force.
The ultrasonic probe according to claim 13, wherein there are at least two friction blocks, which are rotationally symmetrically distributed around the axis of the corresponding transmission shaft.
The ultrasonic probe according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the transmission shaft includes a first transmission shaft, a second transmission shaft, and a third transmission shaft, and the first transmission shaft and the second transmission shaft It is distributed in an equilateral triangle with the third transmission shaft, and each transmission shaft is correspondingly provided with a damping mechanism.
The ultrasonic probe according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the transmission shaft includes a first transmission shaft, a second transmission shaft, a third transmission shaft, and a fourth transmission shaft, and the first transmission shaft The second transmission shaft and the third transmission shaft are distributed in an equilateral triangle, the fourth transmission shaft is located at the center of the equilateral triangle, and at least a damping mechanism is provided on the fourth transmission shaft.